This post will start out with a big thank you to or friends who invited us to hang out, cook and play for a few days. One of our friends had a conference in the area which ended up turning virtual but they decided to keep the trip planned. Yay!
I had a plan to do a pre-sunrise hike to a spot with less people than Cadillac Mountain. The trouble was, we had to find the right mountain. I did my homework and at sunrise, 6:58AM, the sun's angle would be at 104 degrees. I found a spot near our house that would give us a view of the sunrise between the islands, perfecto!
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It doesn't get any better than that.
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Instead of getting up there in the dark and trying to figure out what roads were closed due to COVID, where to park, what trail to take and if there were trees in the way we did a recon hike. We actually encountered all of those things but found a clearing not far off the trail with some ledges that would be a great spot. The trail we took was the Sluiceway trail to the Bernard Mountain Trail.
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| This dog is not mine and not off-leash (Photo by Warren E.) |
The bottom is a little plain but the top is a magical ribbon of dirt through a thick moss covered forest floor. Recon accomplished.
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After our hike we took a side trip to smell the ocean air.
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When we got back we all took a drive to the top of Cadillac. I've been to the top of this mountain many times but rarely by car. We didn't plan to stay until sunset because it gets so busy and even started driving away. As we were passing the parking lot I said we should just turn in and look...
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We were actually about 40 minutes early for the big event and it was getting chilly
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But we stuck it out.
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And it was worth it.
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From here, the plan was to go home, eat, drink, be merry and then wake up at 5:00 to catch the next glimpse of the sun. I wish all days could be that simple.
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| O-Dark thirty (Photo by Warren E.) |
Well, the getting up at 5:00 part came as a little shock to the system after the drinking and being merry part, but it was worth it too.
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The moment before
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If you have never done a hike in the night with lights, it is worth a try. The woods are totally different at night. Pro-tip, bring an extra light. Because woods are really really dark if the one you have dies.
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Hello Again
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We got there in plenty of time to get in our spot and see the sun peak above the horizon. As it turns out there was only a thin clearing at the horizon and then it turned to clouds. This only made things more dramatic!
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Spectacular!
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Eme Approved (Photo by Warren E.)
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OK! Sun's up...Off to the next adventure! We grabbed a quick shower and then it was off to Schoodic to meet my daughter for more hiking around.
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About as close to being swallowed up by the sea as I need.
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We hiked from Schoodic point around the coast and out onto Little Moose Island. There she showed us a sea chasm that puts "Thunder Hole" to shame.
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Attempt # 237 to get this shot with the wave. (Photo by Rose Edwards)
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We ate lunch and played around the rocks a little longer before going on our hike.
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Rose showed us a really big rock
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And took our picture there (Photo by Rose Edwards)
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We tried to put it back into place with no luck. (Photo by Rose Edwards)
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From there it was off to hike to Shcoodic Head up the Anvil and back down Alder. My daughter surprised me because the last I knew she kind of hated hiking. Yet this was a pretty rugged trail. It was a really great day of hiking that was capped off with some great food at
Serendib.
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The fall colors on the island were really amazing. (Photo by Rose Edwards)
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As you can see, we didn't have time to miss having bikes.
